


No Accidents

by Sweettoof



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story RPF
Genre: Carol (2015) - Freeform, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Fluff, raulson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 02:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5610805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweettoof/pseuds/Sweettoof
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After seeing each other by chance in a department store, Lily and Sarah catch up by decorating Lily's bare apartment over a cup of hot chocolate and somehow end up discussing Carol (2015) under a mistletoe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Accidents

**Author's Note:**

> I hope your holiday season was as merry, joyful, and gay (pun intended) as Carol and Therese's road trip and may the year 2016 be one of your very best :) Much love xoxo

‘Twas predicted that a blanket of snow would be settling softly atop the earth around New York City by nightfall and planned to accumulate over night until it was practically reaching their ankles.

Lily emerged from the movie theater just then, taking a glance up above her and wondering when the snowflakes would start falling and landing on her shoulders and eyelashes like they had done the previous winters. She’d forgotten how much she loved the chill, how cold the air would get when it started snowing. It made the holidays just a bit more real, she thought, tangible even.

A soft breeze greeted her when the theater door closed behind her. Strands of her now brown hair grazed her rosy cheeks and she couldn’t help the curve her lips started to form when she saw the white fog of her breath. Her smile remained when she made her way down the avenue, a small café in mind before she finally went home.

She turned a corner and found herself in front of a department store, windows glistening white from the fake snow and glitter ornaments on display around the dressed-up mannequins. Christmas lights lined the edges, successfully illuminating the different clothing sets. A striped top was one of them and out of the blue, it reminded her of the gifts she had yet to get for some of her friends. Work had been so hectic; shopping was something she hadn’t had the chance to fit in her schedule.

She found comfort in the fact that she had two more weeks until she was to give it to them. Acting on impulse, she didn’t even allow for her brain to finish deciding before she was gripping the handle and entering the store, the inside warm and bright…a contrast to the darkness at the movies.

She debated the choices presented to her in the clothing section. A sweater for Pedro, maybe. A new belt for Zachary. Lily frowned. They all seemed like boring presents. Maybe she would just get them gift cards this season, each for different places. She proceeded toward the check-outs, where the rows of gift cards would be.

A flash of black and white caught her eye. Her head turned in the direction and surveyed the area, eyes searching amongst the crowd of people who were also late-night shopping. Her eyes then landed on a familiar face and their gaze landed on hers, pupils expanding from recognition.

“Lily?”

Her tongue caught but she willed her mouth to move despite her surprise.

“Sarah?”

“Oh my God, I had no clue--,”

“When did you get back from L.A.?” Lily asked, heartbeat suddenly increasing in volume as the two women approached one another. They met in the middle of an aisle, near the shoes.

“My plane landed on Tuesday, last week. God, I’m sorry I didn’t call you or text. You look…” Sarah paused and looked Lily up and down, mouth opening and closing in search for the perfect word.

“Warm,” she decided, then appeared as if she wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there for the rest of the year. Sarah was referring to how bundled up the brunette was, dressed in a thick tan coat with a fluffy red scarf wrapped snuggly around her neck. A snow white beanie sat on top of her brown locks which was partly tucked inside it.

Lily smiled in response. “You don’t look bad yourself, Paulson,” she returned.

“So what are you doing here?” Sarah wrapped her arms around herself, noting how her black and white sweater hadn’t been enough to keep her warm from the frigid weather.

“Looking for gifts, what else?” she said, bowing her head in guilt.

“Christmas is in two weeks,” Sarah laughed.

“And what about you? What are _you_ doing here?”

Sarah bowed her own head, fighting back a smile. “You caught me…I just wrapped up Hotel. I didn’t have time to even think until Tuesday of last week. And I can’t think of anything anyone needs.” She shifted, pondering her next question to keep the conversation going.

“Where did you come from just now?”

Lily threw a thumb over her shoulder, “Paris theatres.”

Sarah nodded, “Ah. I see. This was your only day-off, I take it?”

“Yeah…though I have to admit, I’d been putting off my holiday shopping for as long as possible. I feel like it just crept up on me,”

“Me too,” Sarah agreed. Then her cheeks took on a tinted red color and Lily noticed how her brown eyes purposefully refused to meet hers.

“Paulson, what is it?”

“I haven’t gotten you yours yet and I can’t help but feel bad about it,”

Lily shrugged and stepped a bit closer.

“Looks like we had the same idea. I saw a striped top on display and it reminded me that I hadn’t gotten you anything yet,”

“Does everything striped always have to remind you of me?”

“Honey, you make it very hard not to make it remind me of you,” Lily motioned to the striped black and white sweater Sarah had on. Sarah just lifted her shoulders with nothing more to add to the matter.

Her hold around herself loosened, body finally getting used to the temperature of the store. “Wow…I don’t really know where to go from here. It isn’t like my venture into this store is a secret anymore,”

Lily smirked. “Have you gotten Pedro anything yet?”

“Psshhh,” Sarah shook her head. “I could just get him something from the pile of gifts I didn’t want from last year and he’d never know the difference. We’ve known each other too long to hold a grudge.”

“Oh my God, you’re the worst,” Lily laughed, “At least get the man a gift card to Red Lobsters or something. It’ll be more meaningful than that.”

“Well thank you, Ms.-I-got-the-perfect-gifts-for-everyone-because-I-gave-them-a lot-of-thought-and-bought-them-all-three-months-prior-Rabe,” Sarah drawled in a playful, mocking tone.

Lily snorted. “And Zach?”

“A bow-tie. I put it in a package and wrapped it in wrapping paper covered in decorative bow-ties. I think he’ll appreciate the corny humor,”

“I know I would,” Lily confessed.

“What about you? Surely you bought those two something already,”

“I haven’t…that’s why I was here tonight. I mean, if it weren’t for the window display, I probably would’ve headed for the coffee shop and went home,” she bit her lip thoughtfully before adding, “Thank the stars I didn’t.”

“My, my, what are the odds?”

Another silence descended on them again, albeit comfortable. Sarah took a brief glance at the shoes.

“I can help you look if you’d like,” she offered. Lily perked up and Sarah didn’t know how much she wanted for her friend to say ‘yes’ until she nodded.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Lily said.

They headed off to a section filled with fancy men’s wear, attire neither believed would ever appeal to Pedro’s or Zach’s taste.

“I don’t think Pedro would find that comfortable,” Lily made a face and pointed to a suit that looked like it was weighing down the hanger to the point of breaking.

“To be honest, when has Pedro ever felt comfortable wearing a suit? Cotton tees are more his thing,” Sarah said.

Lily nodded, stating, “True.”

They walked around some more, examining folded pants and suits and dress shirts alike. Lily went to go look at the ties before remembering that Sarah was already getting one for Zach.

 “Okay, I’m starting to feel like clothes are something they really don’t need more of. Especially not these ones,”

“Hm…you’re right. Better get ‘em a card to Red Lobsters instead. You know, if you run outta gift ideas, food’s always the next best option,”

“Looks like Zach’s gonna get that red wine he’s always wanted,” Lily pursed her lips. “C’mon. There isn’t anything I can buy for the boys here. And I can’t exactly shop for your present with you right beside me.”

“Well, I’m sorry for being such a bother. I’m having the same problem myself,” Sarah huffed.

Lily chuckled, “I’m playing with you. You know I enjoy your company.”

Sarah clicked her heels together and straightened, “I enjoy my company too,” she said and winked. “So where do you want to go?”

Lily sighed, “It wouldn’t hurt to put off shopping for one more day. Wanna get a hot chocolate?”

“Depends…your place or mine?”

“Wow, you just go straight for it don’t you?”

“The proposition of chocolate makes me brave,”

“Okay, now you’re just making me feel anxious to give you any chocolate to begin with,” Lily said, but she was already leading them to the exit.

Sarah smiled, “Oh, shut up and take me home, Rabe,”

~

When they arrived, Lily led her into the apartment which made her grimace when she recalled that she hadn’t gotten some cleaning done to make the place look more decent.

“I’m sorry, the place is a mess. I wasn’t expecting any company,” Lily apologized once she got the front door open. Sarah entered like she had done it a thousand times before and weaved through the hallways as if it was her own house.

“Lily, if you think for one second that I’m gonna scold you just because you didn’t do your holiday cleaning, then we’ve been apart for too long,” she replied and plopped down heavily on the sofa in the living room.

“You’re right about being apart for too long,” Lily said quietly. She headed straight for the kitchen after draping her coat, scarf, and beanie on a loveseat, along with her purse on the cushion.

“You want anything with the chocolate?” she asked, already taking out the ingredients she needed to make 2 full cups.

Sarah stood up from the sofa to lean against the kitchen’s doorframe.

“You,” she said with every bit of nonchalance she had.

The corners of Lily’s lips curved upward, the comment rendering her speechless for a few seconds. She was about to say something when Sarah spoke up instead.

“Hey, I noticed you don’t have your tree decorated?”

Lily paused in her work and turned to face her.

“Oh… guess I haven’t had time to,”

An idea could be seen brewing inside Sarah’s head. “Now’s the perfect time, don’t you think?”

“Sarah, you don’t have to decorate my tree. That thing’s been up in the corner for a week,”

“Where are your Christmas decorations?” Sarah asked, ignoring her.

Knowing it would be hard to get her to drop an idea once she had one, Lily pointed her in the right direction.

“It’s in the, uh, closet by the front door. I’m sorry, everything’s cluttered in there,”

“Now, now,” Sarah held up her palm and rounded the corner to retrieve the box, “Leave it all to me. I’m gonna Christmas up this place.”

Lily went back to making their hot beverages. She heated up some water in the microwave and once that was ready, she poured the pouches of chocolate powder into 2 mugs before pouring in the boiling hot water and mixing. The red stripes of a candy cane sticking out of a cupboard caught her eye and decided to add them to the mugs too. Lily listened closely to the shuffling going on right outside.

“Sarah, the chocolate’s ready,” she announced, “Hope you like Swiss Miss. It’s the only brand I have.”

“Thanks, Lil,” Sarah accepted the drink being handed to her. “What do you think so far?”

Lily took a careful sip and licked her lips, squinting while she thought about and scrutinized what Sarah had completed in the past couple minutes that she took in the kitchen.

“You found a way to wrestle the branches to wrap the lights around…I’d say it’s a Christmas miracle.”

Sarah snorted when a memory flooded back into her brain. “Yeah, remember when Pedro got caught in his? I’m pretty sure the gash in his side needed more stitches than his jeans.”

Lily let out a laugh, recalling the hilarious event too. “Who knew fir branches could be so dangerous…I think I know what to get him now.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

“A small plastic tree for his desk.”

Sarah nodded in agreement, tipping the lip of the mug to her mouth, “I’m sure he’ll love that present.”

The next full hour was spent in wrapping gold and silver streamers around the tree and creating a pattern after the lights. Hanging the ornaments was agreeably the fun portion of the evening for both of them, with Sarah taking each one by the string in her hand and retelling a specific memory it reminded her of.

She held up an ornament of a sled, slightly tilted to make it appear like it was racing downhill.

“This one’s when we went to the mountains with Zach because he wanted all of us to go sledding,”

“The log cabin we stayed at was terrible by the way,” Lily added.

“Yes!” Sarah agreed, hanging up the sled ornament on a bare branch. Then she reached into the nearly empty box and pulled out an ornament of a small log cabin, covered in craft glitter.

“That story belongs to this one,” she said.

“Okay, okay, I have to say the breakfast was five stars though. Pedro nearly made himself sick from the pancakes and I don’t blame him,”

“My back hurt for a day because of that place,” Sarah reminded.

Lily’s forehead creased. “Your back hurt because you refused to sleep on the mattress like a normal person.”

“There was a bug! And I had no idea what kind it was…or do you not remember?” Sarah planted a hand on her hip, curling the string of the decoration around her thumb.

“Everyone remembers, Paulson. You posted it on your Twitter right after,”

“Exactly,” she found another bare branch and hung it on.

The tree was finished in thirty more minutes and Sarah thought it a great idea to start putting up the wreaths and excess streamers around the apartment walls.

“Whatever you say, florie,” Lily allowed. She picked up the mugs resting on the coffee table and asked Sarah, “Hey, you want some more?”

“Ooh, yes please…you wouldn’t happen to have any cookies with that, would you?”

Lily’s face brightened with a lightbulb hovering over her head.

“I’ll make you some. You won’t mind any cinnamon on them would you?”

Sarah waved a vague hand, deeply concentrated in untangling the streamers, “By all means.” Lily got to work right away, her actions gradually becoming more and more excited with each minute that passed.

It was a miracle she had all the ingredients. A few eggs, some milk, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, et cetera, et cetera.

Meanwhile, Sarah weaved the streamers along the living room, creating an up and down wave pattern around the walls. She arrived at the kitchen doorway in the amount of time it took for Lily to start putting the cookies inside the oven to bake.

Sarah then noticed that a mistletoe had gotten caught by its hook on the streamer’s artificial leaves.

“Hey, look what I found,” she called out loud enough for Lily to hear. Lily looked over her shoulder, craning her neck as far as she was able.

“You should put it up somewhere,” she suggested and went back to fixing the raw cookie dough into neat rows on the baking tin. Sarah was already searching for a stool to stand on so she could reach the casing of the kitchen entrance.

Lily opened the drawer for the timer and set it for 15 minutes, positioned it on display on the counter and stepped back to rest against the door frame with a fresh heated mug of chocolate in her hands. She tilted her head upwards to watch Sarah work the rest of her way throughout the room. Sarah stepped off the stool to take a break and stuffed her hands deep inside her pockets, also leaning back into the wall.

“They should be ready soon,” Lily spoke, handing Sarah a new cup of hot chocolate.

Sarah didn’t hesitate to take it off her hands. “Nothing for you?” she queried when Lily had none for herself. Lily shook her head no and crossed her arms loosely at her chest.

“You didn’t have to decorate my house,” Lily dug the tip of her shoe into the carpet, shuffling nervously where she stood, though she couldn’t think of a reason why she would feel so restless.

Sarah rolled her eyes again. “Lily, I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to…just like I wanted to see how you’ve been doing.”

Lily chewed on her inner cheek.

“Is that all?” she whispered, the air surrounding them suddenly turning delicate while the quiet ticks of a clock sounded in the distance. Blue eyes met brown and they held onto each other’s gazes like it was the only existing tether connecting them.

Sarah tipped the mug to her lips and drank slowly, never breaking eye contact.

“No,” she answered simply, though she wasn’t quite sure herself what other reason influenced her decisions about coming and somehow staying here, using the decorating as an excuse to prolong her stay.

To her relief, Lily didn’t ask for her to extend her answer and instead, blinked, successfully ending their unofficial staring contest.

Sarah turned towards the floor too, eyes settling on an individual line in one of the tiles even though her mind was focused elsewhere.

“So what movie was playing at Paris Theaters?” she asked Lily to alleviate the thickness in the air surrounding them.

Lily could feel her cheeks getting warm and it annoyed her that she couldn’t do anything about it. She cleared her throat. “A movie…”

Sarah let out a laugh, “Okay, yes, but which one?”

Lily uncrossed her arms and let them drop to her sides, palming her pockets for nothing in particular.

“Carol,” she admitted, and her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she gave a cheeky smile.

Sarah appeared more impressed than surprised. She reached over to put her mug on the counter, wanting her hands free.

“Holy shit, I completely forgot they were playing it there,” Sarah breathed.

“Uhm, yeah, like there are many movie theaters playing Carol right now,”

“Oh, shut up you,”

“I must confess though…” Lily began, “…seeing your face in person is a much better experience than seeing it on the big screen.”

“Oh wow, who knew Lily Rabe thought so highly of me,”

Lily rolled her eyes, “I mean it.”

“Okay,” Sarah approached her, unaware she was minimizing the distance, albeit already small, between them. “What did you think? Of Carol, I mean.”

“Oh God, it was amazing. No doubt it’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen,” she swallowed as she calculated Sarah’s facial features to detect a reaction.

Lily stopped chewing and released her lip. She placed her hands behind her back, spreading her palms out on the frame, as if to balance herself.

“All right…I’m glad,” Sarah tipped her head.

Lily cleared her throat, feeling the need to add on to her personal opinion, “Yeah, also Cate and Rooney were incredibly fantastic and you were--,”

Her mouth clasped shut at the unexpected sensation of Sarah’s eyes unintentionally burning a hole through her, akin to the sensation of hot molasses being directly applied to the skin. It was a silly thought, she decided and she could imagine the irrational and logical sides of her brain fighting it out, battling the strength out of one another.

She steeled herself; Sarah was still watching her, waiting for her to continue.

The words were out before she could stop them.

“—flung out of space,” a laugh bubbled at her throat but she suppressed it. Sarah, however, nearly spit.

“I think that’s the best review anyone has ever given me in regards to my acting.”

“I can’t think of anything else to say! You were amazing beyond words,” she wasn’t lying. But in her flustered state, her vocabulary wasn’t exactly stellar.

“Give me a break, I was a supporting role.”

“The film was incredible. I’d like to see it again. And I don’t mean just one more time.”

“All right, I get it. You loved it. There isn’t anything about it where you wouldn’t in all honesty. Todd really outdid himself.”

There was a comfortable silence again. The subtle sounds of a ticking clock made its way back into the atmosphere, prompting Lily to take a quick glance at the sweets that were baking in the oven.

“Oh hey, I barely realized,” Sarah observed, “We’re standing beneath a mistletoe.”

“Honey, you’re the one who put it there,” Lily pointed out.

“Yes, but that doesn’t exclude us from the rule,”

“What rule?” Lily inquired innocently.

“You have to kiss me,”

“I _have_ to kiss you?”

“On the cheek at least,”

Lily squinted her eyes suspiciously. “I’m starting to think you put that up there on purpose.”

Sarah gaped at the accusation.

“You know, if you wanted to kiss me, you could’ve just asked. We shouldn’t need a piece of décor to decide that for us,” Lily continued.

“You’re saying you would’ve said yes?”

“I’ve kissed you a thousand times before. What’s so different about this one?”

“In the many years we’ve been friends, I don’t recall ever being caught with you under a mistletoe,”

“And I don’t recall us ever arguing over whether we should kiss or not because of a rule,”

“Lily, it shouldn’t be argued over. Finding yourself standing beneath a mistletoe indicates--,”

Lily wasn’t sure what came over her, or where exactly her courage came from but it seemed that whatever part of her brain was dictating this impulse—either the logical or irrational—a hemisphere had been crowned victorious.

And as she kissed Sarah on the lips (unlike their past kisses which had always been on the cheek), and had Sarah’s face cradled in her palms, it didn’t feel strange.

Short and sweet, Sarah’s brain was barely given enough time to register what was happening. In the same moment her eyes started opening, Lily was already stepping back, ears madly reddening as she played and replayed what she had just done in her head. How selfish of her to make someone just as flustered as she.

Sarah touched the pads of her fingers to her bottom lip, heart sinking slightly when she realized they were chapped. She should have at least applied some lip balm earlier, she thought. She also cursed the crisp winter weather for partaking in making them so dry.

“I’m sorry about that, that was bold of me,” Lily’s voice cut into her internal monologue.

A kiss that had been meant for friendly intentions had quickly turned into something else entirely, with the only thing bearing a resemblance to it was that it was still a kiss. Nevertheless, the meaning of either was a very different story.

“Don’t apologize,” Sarah spoke.

“Oh…okay…” Lily stared at her nervously.

“I mean… _I’m_ not sorry,”

The timer went off, drawing Lily’s attention to the oven and spontaneously reminding her of the cookies she would have surely forgotten if it weren’t for the clangorous help of a ringing bell.

She used an oven mitt to slide the baking tin out and let it set on the counter to cool. She retrieved a clean plate from the dish rack. The whole time, her forehead was creased in deep thought.   

“You’re not? Sorry, I mean?” Lily asked.

“No,” there was no lace of hesitance in Sarah’s voice. Lily turned to face her and returned to the same spot she had been standing in.

“I didn’t mean to--,”

“No, I mean…you know, I wouldn’t mind if it happened again…if ever,” she said it like one would talk about going out to dinner.

Lily’s confidence slowly began to return. “My, you’re full of surprises,” she said quietly.

Sarah smirked. “You got that line from Carol, didn’t you?”

She grinned, “It isn’t a film that leaves you right away.”

“Well, since we’re making Carol references, I think it’s safe for me to say that there are no accidents,”

Lily felt her shoulders relax, feeling as if she had just completed a journey across a frozen lake where the ice was finally broken. She was drowning, submerged in water and she let it consume her without question. _There were no accidents_. _This was meant to happen_. She could live with that.

“Sarah…”

“Yes?”

“I wouldn’t mind if it happened again either,” Lily confessed. Her heart pounded against her chest.

One side of Sarah’s lips curved upward, “You nitwit,” she whispered before initiating their second kiss. Lily allowed herself to melt against her, tasting the mild hints of chocolate she failed to notice the first time around.

She pushed gently at Sarah’s shoulders.

“Hey, you’re not kissing me because of a rule anymore, right?” Lily asked.

Sarah smiled, shaking her head, “No.”

Lily released a sigh, “Good.” She glanced up at the mistletoe hanging above them, secretly more than glad it had been put up.

Sarah slid her hands up to rest on Lily’s shoulders and squeezed. “Well, now that we got that out of the way, it’s nice to know I’ll have someone to kiss on New Year’s. Awkwardness aside,”

“If you’re lucky,” Lily chuckled.

Sarah took a second to look her up and down, then looked into her eyes intently.

“I’d say I’m pretty lucky,”

Lily could feel herself blushing on the spot. She didn’t care that she couldn’t stop it.

“Happy Christmas, Paulson,” she said.

Sarah kissed the corner of her mouth, “Happy Christmas, Rabe.”

A beat passed and they erupted into joyous laughter, cookies forgotten.


End file.
